Teaching persuasive writing with a class blog

Adolescent writing proficiency is widely considered to be in a state of crisis nationally, and new instructional approaches are needed to raise writing proficiency among all adolescents, with special attention to those students who struggle most (Graham & Perin, 2007). The affordances of digital communication media, such as online discussion forums and blogs, seem to offer promise in helping teachers meet the pedagogical challenges of teaching written composition, and may be especially well-suited to the demands of teaching persuasive writing. Results from an exploratory, design-based, descriptive study of a sixth-grade, persuasive writing unit involving a class blog suggest that interactive, online writing potentially can support middle-school writers in building audience awareness and developing ideas. Analysis of students' online and offline writing and of their commentary about their experiences with the blog offers evidence that, in specific cases, the blog experience may be a factor in facilitating students' writing process and improving their written products.